Gioco of Rings
by Roark201
Summary: "Having only specialized in making weapons, the Grigio created an army of enchanted armor, whose sole purpose was to keep the prince happy. They were dubbed: Suits." Step into the ring! Infra, a young thief, and her enchanted suit of armor embark on a kingdom-wide adventure to collect magical weapons and enter The Gioco of Rings, a competition between wizards and their Suits.


**document/d/1Bj92SuwlXVy5_mEc60pvdGWSJxHY9X5RFhV3z6HXkCM/edit**

 _Let me start by saying thank you for clicking on my story. I would love ANY kind of feedback._

 _I'm on tvtropes a lot and wanted to try my hand at an adventure fantasy. I want to see it as a comic someday._

 _This is a Magical Girl series with elements of mon. The setting is loosely influenced by Italy._

 _Italian is used as a replacement for magical words. The mix between the languages is a way I incorporate my upbringing and it also adds a cultural aesthetic._

 _The vocabulary is an addition from my teacher brain. There is no correct pronunciation within as far as my work is concerned, however the idea of the Italian words being spoken with an American accent seems both fun and bizarre. I dig it._

 _Thanks again!~~_

 _B's clothing are her suits. Veggie metrics_

 _Kill Crudo at the end of the chapter?_

* * *

 **Glossary**

Duerancia: A combination of the word word " _orange"_ and " _two"_

Arcobaleno: Rainbow

Cazzo: Fuck this, to hell with that, dick

Cero: Wax

Crudo: Raw

Cuore mio: My Heart

Domeniday: A combination of the Italian and English "Sunday"

Fortuna: Lucky

Gavia stellata: Red-throated loon

Gioco: Game

Grigio: Grey

Malanzani: Eggplants

Mida: Midas

Nube: Cloud

Papilio farfalla: Butterfly

Rocbolawesome: The Italian word fantastic is "Rocambolesco" and the english "awesome"

Rossuno: A combination of the word "red" and "one"

Strega: Witch

Volpe: Fox

Veggiemetrics: The world's form of measurement. The base scaling uses the eggplant.

One eggplant = eight inches = .0.666667 of a foot

My height= 6'= 72 inches=9 eggplants or 9 _melanzani_ tall

* * *

 **Rossuno Village**

"Get back here with those grapes, you little thief!" yelled the fruit vendor.

A young girl in a short red cape zipped through the village square. She slipped easily between the tightly packed wagons and mules that filled the square. Vendors threw rotten fruit and knives at the thief, but she was far too nimble and easily dodged their frutti and cotelli.

At about seven and a half melanzani tall, the red-caped girl easily eluded capture-doing so with a smile on her face. With each stand she passed, _more_ fruits disappeared.

A moustached vendor holding a butcher-knife popped-out from a side alley door and took a swing at the thief, catching only the tip of her short cape. The thief turned around as red threads fell to the ground. She thrusted out a pale fist from her cape, at the end of which was an odd white ring. The vendor instantly froze and dropped the knife. The thief laughed and continued her escape. The vendor collapsed to the ground, trembling.

"Poor idiot. As long as she has that ring, she's untouchable," said one vendor to his young son.

"Papa, what's so scary about a ring?"

"That's a cursed ring, cuore mio. It has magical powers."

"Magical powers!?"

"No my son, that ring belongs to the devil-to Porko Deo himself. Once you use his tools, you _become_ his tool."

Rossuno was a small village in the heart of Ailati's fruit country, with narrow streets, quaint squares, and centuries-old towers that exuded a medieval air. The people there were simple and religious. Russuno was also home to Infra and currently her labrinth.

A group of local boys and their dogs chased the red blur between the alleyways.

"You two go left, you three go right! Don't let her get away you idiots!" said Crudo as he chewed on a loaf of bread while his other hand held a wedge of salted cheese. The boys glared at Crudo but reluctantly did as they were told. They cornered the red thief.

"Take off your stupid hood, we know it's you, Infra!" barked the fat boy while crumbs and drool fell off his mouth and into his shirt. Crudo had no front teeth and was a notorious cat-skinner. His size alone was enough to make even the coalminers of the village tremble.

"Aww, I guess you finally caught me, Crudo," said the thief as she revealed her short red hair and freckled face. But her most obvious feature was the pair of red fox ears that she wore on her head.

"Well, looks like we caught ourselves a fox in a chicken coop."

"Am I the chicken?"

The adults might let you get away with stealing because you're a freak with no family, but not us. We don't feel sorry for thieves, like _you_! And another thing….

As the fat boy berated her, Infra used her magical ring to stealthily conjure wax to line the floor of the cobblestone alleyway. Streams of white wax emitted from the blue jewel that rested in the center of the ring.

Infra picked her teeth with a stolen toothpick. She smiled,

"I told you before, I'm not a stealer. I just take what I need when I need it. Or when I _really really_ want it."

"Don't try to trick me you dirty fox! It's a shame no one's around to teach you right from wrong, but I guess that's why we're here." He cracked his knuckles.

"I don't think you'd make a very good teacher." There was no sarcasm in her voice. She looked at the boys gayly, like a dog ready to fetch a stick. "I'd gladly give back whatever I took. You'd just have to catch me first!"

Thrusting out a fist from her cape, Infra once again showed off her white ring. The ring was a simple design. On the interior band there was etched a name. In her other hand she held a wicker basket filled to the brim with pilfered peaches and other stolen fruits.

A few of the boys backed off, but their fat ringleader continued,

"No need to fear boys. Good luck trying to stop all of us with your haunted ring, freak. This time we've come prepared!"

Simultaneously, all the boys opened up their hidden umbrellas and held them like shields. They all smiled in smug satisfaction; however, the boys and their dogs then noticed the stickiness beneath their feet.

"We're stuck!" clamored the boys. Their dogs yelped and tried eating away the magical wax but to no avail.

"Didya finally notice?" asked Infra."You're a little too late if you ask me. Oh, and Sir Cero isn't a haunted ring, he's a Suit!"

She then aimed her ring at the sticky ground and called out,

"Cero, lock these mutts in a cage, their whining is starting to annoy me."

Her ring vibrated as a tiny blue flame sprouted from the jewel. It flickered brightly like a candle on an open windowsill. The wax under their feet began to form a large cage and harden around her pursuers.

On a nearby balcony, a grandfather sat on a wooden chair with his eldest granddaughter. He crushed a peeled orange in his hand while his other gripped a wooden cane.

"Pig god, _it's_ back again already!?" he said, juice dripping down his hand as the veins popped out of his balding head.

"Papa calm down,you know who she is. She's Donna's girl. It's a sin what's happened to her, a real shame. Not too long after her death, he son disappeared. That little girl hasn't been the same since. And I don't blame her, she doesn't have anyone left anymore."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he killed and ate them all herself."

"Papa, that's terrible!"

"She's full of bad luck, I can smell it."

"Oh papa," she threw the excess peels and oranges into a basket and tied the basket to a clothes-hanger line. She then pulled the line until it reached her neighbor's balcony. "Thank you senora Vecchia!"

"She's a menace!"

" I tried talking her into joining the convent, but she refused to leave the forest," said his daughter, as she peeled another orange.

"The convent?! She'd burst into flames as soon as she stepped in! Sure, she's a little girl for now, but she has the power of evil. And soon, she'll bring the devil here if something doesn't change." He tossed the mashed pulp off the balcony, which landed several feet away from the wax cage. Infra looked up and saw the old man's shaking fist eclipse the sun with a symbol she's become very accustomed to: the sign of the horns.

Infra pulled out an hourglass pendant hidden within her cape, then turned her head to note the position of the sun. As she put her hood back on, she turned around and pointed her ring to the wall behind her. She created a candle staircase and climbed it slowly, tossing a grape in her mouth as she made her way up.

"Yum, I love sour grapes! Too bad you don't eat Cero, you'd like these for sure!" Infra said, her face scrunched from the palpable green treat.

Before she leapt over the wall, a red-faced Crudo turned to Infra.

"I-I hope you know that the fruit you steal comes from our mother and father's hard work. It doesn't just grow on tree-. It might not mean anything to you, but the harvest was especially unkind this year. The winter will be a difficult one for some families that really depend on...cazzo-" He stopped, feeling embarrassed from revealing general concern. Instead, Crudo returned to his normal rhetoric,

"FOX FREAK! At least I don't live alone in the woods with a monster. At least my brother didn't-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a stream of wax lodged itself into his mouth and nose. She giggled and jumped over the wall.

"Cero, you didn't have to do that," addressing her ring. The ring flickered.

"Yeah, he was wrong, I don't live alone, and you're not a monster, you're an enchanted suit of armor that lives in a ring. That silly, silly goose," she mocked.

She shouted back at the village, "There's a difference!" and whispered, "You're all I need, Cero."

Infra climbed up the inclined village path. Her brown leather boots were falling apart, but the cobbler refused to help her. She usually snuck into the cobbler's shop at night and fixed them herself. The brisk air of the afternoon entered her lungs as a sea of red filled the horizon. Mountain weather kept her healthy, hopeful, and energetic. The sight of crimson foliage never grew boring to Infra. Her brown eyes followed a couple of Long-tailed Tits as they stopped to perch on a nearby branch. The fox hurled apples at the birds, but she didn't manage to hit the feather pair. After a few failed attempts she was then distracted by a Papilio farfalla. The stitching in her knee-high wool socks slowly undid themselves as she chased after the butterfly.

The butterfly passed the familiar battered sign that read: _Volpe Forest._ The farfalla drew her further into the the thick white woods, where she was politely met by two foxes. They rubbed their backs against her leg and yipped for a taste of her treats. Infra giggled and tossed them a handful of pomegranate seeds as the occasional crimson leaf dropped from the tall ivory trees that filled the countryside of Rossuno. Infra smiled as she knelt down to pet the two foxes.

The foxes followed Infra to her hammack found at the center of the forest. In a tree trunk she kept an old treasure chest with all her belongings. She tossed the pair of foxes a plum and giggled as they fought over the juicy fruit. As they growled at at each other, Infra reached into her red cape and pulled out a long key. She opened up the chest and rummaged around until she found an old book titled _The Gioco._ The book had a multi-colored cover that was ripped at the so often she attempted to read the book despite never fully learning how to read.

"Cero, you wouldn't mind if I try reading to you again?"

The ring flickered.

"Okay, I'll give it another go…

 _ **Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Ailati, there lived a pair of twin nobles: Prince and Princess Arcobaleno.**_

 _ **Prince Arco Arcobaleno loved roughhousing, swords, and magic, while Princess Balena Arcobaleno loved animals, board games, and tea parties. The twins were the king and queen's pride and joy, and the rightful heirs to their throne. Like most siblings, they often bickered over trivial matters; however, they did share one activity in common. They both loved to watch the gladiators battle to the death.**_

 _ **Every Domaneday, the entire family would gather and spend quality time in the arena. They lived happily with their slaves in Fortuna's Landing. Everything was as it should be until the siblings fell sick with a mysterious disease. The king and queen searched all over the kingdom but no form of medicine nor magic could help the ill-fated pair.**_

 _ **The Prince and Princess gradually weakened, and eventually secluded themselves within the castle walls. They quickly grew very lonely.**_

 _ **The king ordered his guild of powerful wizards, the Grigio, to create playmates for his sad children. Having only specialized in making weapons, the Grigio created an army of enchanted armor whose sole purpose was to keep the prince and princess happy and safe. They were dubbed: Suits.**_ " Infra licked her dry lips and flipped to the next page, but the writing was too weathered to distinguish.

"Aw Cero, I can't see what the next word says. I was doing real well too."

The three pairs of fox ears perked up to the sound of voices somewhere in the distance. The carrot-topped orphan closed the book and threw it back into the chest. She swiftly and stealthily inched closer towards the voices. She hid behind a tree and eavesdropped on a group of foreign knights. Like her pale face, Infra's hands were freckled, covered in dirt, and callused. She might have been a pretty girl but didn't care much to try. Her freckled nose scrunched as pollen passed. Her ring suddenly vibrated and flickered.

"Shhh! I'm not going to sneeze, you big dummy!" she hissed.

One of the knights turned in her direction and scanned the area for a few seconds. He then returned to the group's attention. Infra nearly fainted.

The mountains of steel stood in a small circle, speaking in low frequency, with voices coming from deep within their armor. Thick black helmets hid their features.

"Our scouts say it's been seen in this region. Split up and turn over every rock. The Mida is our top priority."

 _The Mida is here? Now?!,_ thought Infra.

As the knights split up in search of the Mida, Infra noticed their chest emblems: Orange thunderbolts. She flinched, "Cero, those guys are from Duerancia Kingdom! They're bad news." she whispered.

As soon as they were safely out of sight, Infra breathed again. Her ring flickered.

"What do you mean you don't know?! Legends say The Golden Mida can turn anything it touches into gold! Soooo, ya'see, it's the most sought-after of all Suits that roam the land of Ailati." The blue flame flared up.

"I didn't mean it that way, Cero! Goodness, you can be so sensitive. You're still my favorite, no matter what. Now, we need to find the Mida before they do!" Infra scanned the area quickly.

Infra decided to climb the nearest tree for a better view. She believed if The Mida were _really_ made of gold, it would twinkle in the setting sun. She peered into the distance in a slow rotation. Rossuno village was positioned on a high mountain. From this vantage point, the land of Ailati was laid out in its entirety. From volcanic canyons to lush green valleys, to bitter tundra- every inch of the kingdom was magical and dangerous. Like a Gavia stellata looking for the subtle movements of a shimmering scaled fish, Infra caught a shining spec directly south from Rossuno. She stuck her hand out.

"Rocambolawesome! We'll be rich in no time, Cero! Maybe, then, we can build a castle right here in the woods!" The ring flickered in acknowledgment.

She jumped down the tree and headed straight for the spec. Her short red cape fluttered in the wind as she grabbed the nearest tree branch where she hung her wicker basket.

"We'll be back for these later."

Infra bobbed and weaved through the forest she grew up in. After her parents died, Infra and her older brother left the village and fended for themselves in this same forest. She knew every toadstool, every nest; this was her haven. She now lived in the forest with the many foxes that inhabited Volpe and could hardly remember her parents now. However, her brother did try to continue their traditions.

Every spring Infra gathered flowers for her brother to craft their mother's flower-crowns. Her brother also said passed down his father's fishing skills to Infra. Distracted by her memories, Infra suddenly found herself in a thick grey mist.

 _It isn't mist season._

Disoriented, she collided with a mysterious girl. Infra fell with a thud and bruised her elbow on birch bark, yet the strange girl remained firmly planted and statuesque. Her eyes were light blue, and her pixie haircut was a dull purple; the same shade as her robe. She held a beautiful indigo hand mirror that glittered despite the lack of sunlight.

She blankly stared at Infra, not even offering her a hand up. Instead, the girl returned to staring into her mirror, as if looking for something. Her crystal eyes were sunken into her head. The jewels nested deeply above her heavy bags as they scanned the mirror. Olive-skinned complexion revealed her southern roots. The gravity around was heavy, as if sound and light took longer to reach her.

Infra furled her brow, got up, and stomped right up to the girl.

"Watch where you're going!"

The purple haired girl simply put a finger to her lips and whispered,

"She's here."

Immediately, the tree behind them turned solid gold, and phasing through the trunk, as if by magic, a short golden suit of armor appeared.

Infra had never seen a female Suit before and was taken aback by its beauty. The Mida twirled around like a ballerina. She was not stiff or mechanical- she seemed very much alive. Despite this, her helmet only showed two beady glowing eyes, and although she moved fluidly, Infra concluded she was more metal than girl. There was no semblance of organic material within the petite and dainty Suit.

The golden Suit skipped from tree to tree, flower to flower, touching the flora with the tip of her pinky, changing their composition to the lustrous metal. Around her alchemical pinky was a solid gold band.

Anyone would have killed to attain a number of riches that were appearing. Every step the Suit took left a golden footprint on the grass and dirt.

The mysterious girl with the purple hair extended her right hand, letting the indigo mirror dangle carelessly in her left.

She casually spoke, "Dame Mida, let's play a game. Enter the ring." With that phrase, a ring of light formed around the purple haired girl and golden suit. This was their battlefield, and _the ring_ was their parameters.

Dame Mida acknowledged her request and sat on a nearby stump, which, quickly transmuted to gold. The mysterious girl began closing her eyes slowly and lifted her arm to the sky, like a lightning rod.

"Ring, ring loudly. Mottle over the Kingdom."

Animated by the incantation, the mist began to gather directly in front of her extended arm and clump together into a human shape.

Examining closer, Infra noticed a grey, nebulous ring wrapped around the girl's ring finger.

"That's a Suit ring!" exclaimed Infra.

With eyes still closed, purple-hair whispered the magical words, _Sir Nube Knight_ , and out from her ring came a spark.

"Those were clouds?" Infra whispered to herself as the grey clouds swirled around her and the golden Suit.

The grey clouds fully materialized into a knight with fluffy yet solid armor. Both Mida and Sir Nube's size resembled battle armor forged for child soldiers. The two Suits were ready for a bout.

"Sir Nube, make this quick. We don't want to be caught gold handed."

From the palm of his glove, Sir Nube began to generate an electric current. The Suit's glove grew darker as the electricity fully charged. The girl signaled an attack by slashing the air diagonally with her arm. The anthropomorphic cloud began shooting bolts of lightning from his palms towards the sitting Suit.

The Mida easily dodged the barrage of lightning bolts, unintentionally setting ablaze several trees and bushes. The fire began to spread quickly. Infra's home was burning all around them.

The onslaught of thunderbolts continued as thick black smoke and bright orange flames filled their battle ring. The Mida morphed her arms into swords and gaily swung at Sir Nube. The wild swings cut the surrounding trees as Sir Nube dodged, turning them to gold despite the slightest clip. The Mida was very fast and deadly.

The forest was fully engulfed now. Birds were falling from the sky, their feathers set aflame. Foxes screamed as their faces melted away. Infra had to do something. She thrust herself in between the two combating Suits. With outstretched arms, Infra yelled,

"Stop! You're destroying the entire forest!"

The mysterious girl stood facing Infra, analyzing every inch of her.

"And? One thousand forests could burn for all I care. I am only concerned with the Mida. Remove yourself or I'll order my Suit to attack you directly."

"How could you!? This place is home to all the plants and animals! I won't move, not never!"

"Fine. Sir Nube, ready yourself for another barrage."

However, after noticing her Suit's fatigue, the purple haired wizard gave a long sigh and seemed to be calculating a series of equations in her head. Finally, she refracted Sir Nube back into her ring.

The ring of light that encircled the girls began to vanish, extinguishing the growing electrical fires that surrounded them. The two ring wizards stared at each other silently. Astonishingly, Purple-hair then knelt on one knee to signal her defeat.

The smell of burning birch filled their lungs and the crackling of wood was the only sound left. The silent woods were now a holocaust for the ring. Fox eyes widened, and teeth flashed. Infra was losing control.

"All that for you to give up?!"

The purple-haired wizard squinted.

"Heroic of you to say, but you're here for the same reason I am. Shiny, tradable, gold" she rose from her knee," it's a shame I couldn't line my pockets fast enough. I didn't anticipate such an annoying interruption."

"You let the forest burn for gold?!"

"I let it burn for _a chance_ at power. And I'd do it again, even for half a chance."

The Mida then began to mime laughter. As Infra watched it hold its stomach and roll around on the ground, she grew even more confused and angry. The only thing that Infra could concentrate on now was her reflection in all the warped gold that surrounded them. At one point, Infra could not tell the difference between her, the Mida, or the purple haired girl. Still laughing, the Mida then morphed herself into a golden clone of Infra.

"Y-you think this is a joke?!"

Determined to not let the golden Suit escape, Infra held out a fist and conjured Sir Cero Knight.

 _No incantation? Curious._ thought the purple ring wizard.

From Infra's flickering ring, a knight made of candle wax materialized. He appeared slightly plump and had no weapons, save for the lit blue wick atop his head. It was immediately apparent that something was different about Sir Cero. As if he were _older_ than Sir Nube and Dame Mida.

Sir Cero began to wind up a sticky punch, but the opposing Suit quickly molded a golden parasol to protect herself.

With the slightest touch of her dainty pinky, Sir Cero slowly froze into a golden statue. A horrified Infra watched as her only friend stiffened until he was nearly immobilized. Infra ran to embrace him but was tackled by the purple haired girl.

They rolled over smoldering leaves and eventually stopped with Infra pinned beneath purple-hair. Infra struggled to get up, but purple-hair refused to let her budge.

"Pay attention, idiotic mountain girl. You should _not_ have challenged Dame Mida."

"Shut up!"

"Stupid and rude? No etiquette at all. Were you raised by wolves?"

"Get off me!" Infra howled.

"If you touch your Suit now, you'll only be adding yourself to the Dame's trophy collection."

The straddled ring wizards both turned left and finished watched the wax knight solidify. He was frozen in time, and despite the gold, wax, and clouds that filled the woods, it was all completely organic. Like a buried acorn or song of a Mockingbird, although unseen, the magic that filled the woods today was welcomed by nature. There was an acceptance of the abnormal, of the destruction caused.

Two knights from Duerancia kingdom appeared from behind the blackened trees.

"It's here, Mida is here!" they yelled.

Satisfied with her playtime, Dame Mida yawned and sprouted two golden rabbit ears. She then shrunk, morphing into a mundane forest rabbit. She bounced away into the distance, leaving golden tracts. The Duerancia knights looked at the teenage girls menacingly. After an eternity, the knights turned around robotically and sprinted in pursuit of the fleeing treasure.

The purple wizard rose from the ground and wiped the dirt from her purple robe. She began to walk away.

"Grow up or next time you'll lose more than your nightlight. You're nothing special, even if you are deformed."

Enraged, Infra pupil's widened as she grabbed a nearby stick and took a swing at the stranger's back, but hit nothing. The girl easily evaded and disarmed Infra. She took the same stick and used it to shove Infra up against a tree, lifting her off of her feet. She held the thick stick firmly against Infra's throat, choking her. She was deceptively strong.

"You have the eyes of an outcast." she said quickly, as if diagnosing a soldier in a trench.

"You think you're exempt from law, from morality. You think life is a game-a quality you and the Mida have in common. But, I'll tell you a secret. The only game that really matters is _the_ game. The Gioco of Rings."

 _Gioco of Rings?_ Just then, a distant memory resurfaced.

"No listen! If I win, our lives are changed forever," he would say, "Everything will be different for us!"

His words echoed beneath her ears. Infra's eyes welled with tears, and her heart skipped a beat. Infra tried to kick at the wizard but she was instead met with a punch to the gut. Infra started to lose consciousness. She looked at the golden statue that was once her confidant.

"C-Cero…" Infra managed to choke out.

"You're worried about your Suit?" The wizard squinted her eyes. "No need for that. Your earwax will be back to normal momentarily. Dame Mida's domain is a maximum of three miles."

She continued staring into Infra's feral eyes as she turned blue, maybe for a little too long, then let her drop violently to the ground. A spark from the purple wizard's ring conjured a thick haze.

"Those soldiers are still around. Better pull yourself together before they rip you apart." Purple-hair disappeared into the darkness of the beautiful and dangerous, she, like her Suit, was a force of nature.

Gasping for breath, Infra couldn't find the words to ask what she meant. Wheezing on her back, Infra noticed the once golden tree was now returning to its original pale complexion; as were the flowers and field. Soon Sir Cero also returned to normal and immediately slumped into a viscous puddle of defeat.

Sobbing and filled with mucus, Infra refracted her Suit back into her ring and remained on the grass for a long time. When her brother disappeared, she would often lay on the ground staring at the sky, crying, watching as it turned from day to twilight. She had many questions and no means of answering them. Drained, Infra could barely crawl to the nearest bush. Feeling nothing while forcing herself through thorns, the fox girl couldn't stop the purple wizard's words from penetrating all her senses.

After several hours of hiding, the moon now hung high above the outskirts of the forest. No one knew where she was and no one cared. Feeling that enough time has passed, Infra finally picked herself up and headed home. She passed the hanging wicker basket and saw that it was now empty.

"Cazzo..."

She took the wicker basket down and hugged handle brushed against her raw, sore neck.

On the way through her usual path, the brooding ring wizard spotted a familiar tree carved with the words: _Strega Swamp_. The path leading to the swamp was laced with jagged stones and the leaves changed from red to amber.

" _Never enter the swamp"_ echoed her brother's voice. "It's a dangerous place, and the perfect hideout for witches. Hags that squat here are renegades who've refused to serve any house."

Despite his warning, after her their parent's death, Infra's brother visited the swamp and returned with Sir Cero's ring. Infra looked at the ebony tree, to her ring, and finally to the tree again.

"Cero, I need to know what this game is all about. My only hope is the witches in the swamp. Will you be there with me? You're the only family I have left."

After a long silence, there was a faint blue glow.

Infra slowly entered Strega Swamp...


End file.
